Growing a baby is one of the most remarkable things our bodies can do, and one of the most important things we can do is to support our health over those crucial nine months.

Supporting your health during pregnancy doesn’t need to be difficult, in fact it’s as easy as a few simple lifestyle tweaks and you’re well on your way to a beautiful journey to motherhood. And to make it even easier, we’ve listed five of the most simple ways to help keep your pregnancy health supported – from mental health boosters to physical health helpers.

So if you’re one of the almost 300,000 Australian women who will give birth this year, here’s how to support your health during your pregnancy.

1. Take Pregnancy Multivitamin

A pregnancy multivitamin is truly the easiest way to support your body and your growing baby, as you navigate the nine months of pregnancy. It can be tricky to make sure you’re getting enough good foods and nutrients into your body, particularly if you’re dealing with morning sickness. And cravings!

Whole Earth & Sea® Pregnancy Multi is a wholefood, vegan multivitamin, made with organic ingredients to support a healthy pregnancy. The 47 vitamins, minerals and nutrients help support foetal development and maternal health. And it’s so easy – just one tablet twice a day and you’re done, and you know you’ve given yourself and your baby important nutrients derived from wholefood, organic sources including B-group vitamins, minerals and antioxidant-rich plant extracts. Always read the label. Follow the directions for use.

2. Kick Unhealthy Habits

While we did say these are easy ways to support a healthy pregnancy, this is probably the most difficult step. There are some habits that you may have picked up before pregnancy that aren’t the best for you or your baby’s health. And the two big ones are smoking and drinking alcohol.

Research has shown that there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant, and that alcohol can harm a developing baby, even before you know you’re pregnant. So the best advice is to cut out alcohol when you begin trying for a baby, and keep it up during your pregnancy.

Likewise, smoking and also passive smoking are harmful to unborn babies. It increases the risk for pregnancy complications like premature birth and miscarriage. It can be incredibly difficult to kick the smoking habit, so make sure you reach out for support via Quit.

3. Increase The Amount Of Wholefoods In Your Diet

To help your baby develop, it’s really important to eat lots of good, nutritious food during pregnancy – foods that are rich in iodine, folate, iron, protein, calcium, vitamins D and B12. Women need an extra 400 calories, or 1800kJ in the final trimester of pregnancy, and while it’s tempting to make these up with chocolate, it’s not going to give you the nutrition you also need.

Wholefoods are a brilliant way to up your intake of nutrient dense foods in pregnancy. So what are wholefoods? Simple, they are foods that are eaten in their most natural way possible, helping fuel your body with unprocessed foods.

Here are some great wholefoods to eat during pregnancy:

• Beans
• Eggs
• Avocado
• Whole grains
• Cauliflower
• Berries
• Sweet potato
• Oranges
• Bananas

4. Find Your Zen

While growing a baby is utterly beautiful, it can also be stressful. Along with the usual pressures of life, you may be suffering from morning sickness, insomnia or completely exhausted – all while trying to continue with your normal duties.

Managing your stress in pregnancy is really important for you and your baby’s health, to help reduce the risk of preterm birth. So find a way to help reduce your stress in a positive and uplifting way. It could be as simple as adding a morning or evening walk to your routine, or heading to a pregnancy yoga class. Meditation is also amazing to help reduce stress.

If there are certain things causing your stress, like a messy house and complete lack of energy, invest in a cleaner, or ask a family member or friend for some help. Or just take the pressure of yourself – you’re growing a tiny human after all!

5. Find A Great Doctor (And Dentist!)

If you don’t already have a fabulous doctor – now is the time to find one! Ask your friends or family who they saw during their pregnancies and make an appointment as soon as you think you may be pregnant, or if you’re about to start trying.

Your doctor will organise a maternal health screening to make sure you’re healthy – checking for things like your blood type, whether you have any infections, your iron levels and whether you are immune to rubella. The doctor should also make sure you’re up to date with vaccinations and check in on your mental health.

And don’t forget to book in for a dental check while you’re at it! The high levels of progesterone and estrogen during pregnancy can cause your teeth to loosen a little (it’s only temporary!). And gingivitis is also really common in pregnancy, and can cause your gums to become red and swollen once again thanks to those pregnancy hormones!

So there you have it – just a few simple ways to give you and your baby the best health support during pregnancy.

Mouths of Mums is proudly working together with Whole Earth & Sea® to bring you this article. Whole Earth & Sea® creates supplements from raw wholefoods. With ingredients grown on its certified organic farm and processed using gentle, uncompromising methods.